


The Cure

by darkgirl11



Category: Code Lyoko
Genre: Aelita is so pure, Alternate Universe - Hospital, Arguments, Awkward Tension, Bad Puns, Budding Love, Character Death, Crying, Doctor!Ulrich, F/M, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Jeremie is innocent af, Jeremie's chilling, M/M, Male-Female Friendship, Mild Swearing, Nurse!Odd, Odd and Ulrich can be seen as developing lovers, Odd and Ulrich can be seen as friends, Odd is a wonderful nurse, Odd is basically Ulrich's nurse, Odd is literally everyone's best friend, Odd tells a lot of puns, Patient!Aelita, Patient!Yumi, Puns & Word Play, Romantic Friendship, Short Story, Strained Friendships, Strained Relationships, Ulrich is insensitive, Yumi is a danger magnet, Yumi is a good wingman, budding friendship, especially at the end, everyone loves Odd, matchmaker Yumi, probably not, they might be funny, this is an emotional roller coaster
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:21:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27412645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkgirl11/pseuds/darkgirl11
Summary: Ulrich is the newest doctor in the hospital. He isn’t expecting to get attached to anyone there until he meets an optimistic, pun-loving nurse named Odd.
Relationships: Jeremie Belpois & Odd Della Robbia, Jeremie Belpois/Aelita Schaeffer, Odd Della Robbia & Ulrich Stern, Odd Della Robbia & Yumi Ishiyama, Odd Della Robbia/Ulrich Stern, Yumi Ishiyama & Ulrich Stern
Kudos: 19





	The Cure

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! So, I was listening to "The Cure" by Lady Gaga and I had the idea to make Ulrich a doctor and make Odd a nurse and have like a hospital love story. Of course, I wanted to make this a short story so I tried to just stick with key moments to help develop their friendship and relationship. You could honestly go through this and see Ulrich and Odd's relationship as one of friendship or you could see it in a romantic sense so it's honestly up to you as you read it.
> 
> Some inspiration while writing this was definitely Lady Gaga's song but there was also some inspiration found from the Netflix movie, Over the Moon. I highly suggest you watch that movie but like if you're not interested that's totally fine but I recommend you listen to "Love Someone New" from that movie because it is so powerful! There's also a reference to the movie "Glass" starring Samuel L. Jackson so yay!
> 
> Thank you all for reading! I hope you enjoy! :)

“Welcome to the hospital, Dr. Stern.”

Ulrich would never get used to being called Dr. Stern. To him, it was a surreal feeling. It reminded him that he had lived up to the high expectations his father had placed on him as a child. His father wanted him to do big things, and so that’s what he did. After many years of school, and numerous bills later, Ulrich was a now a doctor in one of the biggest hospitals in France.

The brunette shook hands with the other male before following him down the cream colored hallway. Ulrich listened intently to the other male as he was told what he would be doing. It appeared that he was given some of the sickest patients. They paused right in front of a patient’s room. The look on the other male’s face was solemn but Ulrich didn’t comment on it.

Ulrich’s face was expressionless as the other male stated, “A lot of the people you’re going to be helping are terminally ill. We’re able to help a lot of people but we can’t save everyone, Dr. Stern. You’re going to be with some of these people for a long time so if I may give you a word of advice before you see your first patient…”

“Of course, anything.”

“Don’t get attached to your patients.”

Before medical school, Ulrich would’ve winced at those words. Now that he had seen ill patients and witnessed deaths on the table, he was emotionless. Those words didn’t affect him like they should have. The other male nodded to Ulrich before he turned around and carried on his way.

Ulrich watched as the man turned the corner and was out of sight. Ulrich looked down at the clipboard with countless papers attached. His first patient was supposed to be a woman named Aelita Schaeffer. She was reported to have leukemia and was doing fairly well at the moment. He noticed that she had been in the hospital frequently until her health took a bad turn a month ago. She wouldn’t be allowed to leave the hospital unless Ulrich gave her the green light.

He took a deep breath as he reached forward and grabbed the door handle. He made a soft noise of confusion when he thought he heard more than one person in the room. Aelita wasn’t supposed to have visitors at the moment so he was puzzled. Ulrich opened the door and his eyes widened at the sight in front of him.

There was a beautiful nurse with blonde hair but there was part of his spiked up hair that was dyed purple near his forehead. He was dressed in his blue scrubs and blue gloves but he wasn’t wearing a mask, which showed off his bright smile. Ulrich turned to see the patient. She had pink hair and a sunken face that made her look sicker than she actually was at the moment.

It appeared that the nurse was well acquainted with the patient. It also seemed that Ulrich had walked in on their conversation, but that didn’t stop the nurse from saying to Aelita, “And, so, he was being super rude so guess what I said to that science nerd!”

“What did you say, Odd?”

“So, I said light travels faster than sound…”

“Yeah?”

“That’s why some people appear bright until you hear them speak!”

It took Aelita a moment to get the pun but when it hit her, she started laughing. Odd’s laugh nearly drowned Aelita’s laugh as it bounced off the walls and filled the room. Aelita seemed to wipe a tear out of her eye as she watched Odd try to control his laughter. Ulrich couldn’t help but smile at the relationship they had, but he remembered he was here for business. He coughed into his hand to gain their attention.

“Oh, you must be Aelita’s new doctor!”

“Yes, I’m Dr. Ulrich Stern.”

Odd kept that bright smile on his face as he eagerly walked over to him and shook his hand. The blonde continued to smile as he introduced himself, “It’s nice to meet you, Dr. Stern! I’m Aelita’s nurse! The name’s Odd Della Robbia, but you can call me anytime!”

“Odd, you’re too much!”

“Anything to make you smile, Aelita!”

The two of them were giggling at Odd’s bubbly personality. Odd stayed in the room as Ulrich went through his paperwork for Aelita. She appeared to be in good health and good spirits, but Ulrich would’ve credited the latter to Odd. Once Ulrich was done, he and Odd left the room to give her some time to rest.

Ulrich was about to be on his way to his next patient when Odd spoke up again, “I heard from the other nurses that we would be getting a new doctor so I’m glad I got to meet you. If you need any help finding rooms or anything, I’m more than happy to be of assistance!”

The brunette was about to brush him off but Odd had reached forward and snatched his clipboard, looking through the papers to read off who his patients were. Odd’s face seemed to light up as he exclaimed, “Wow! You’re seeing a lot of my patients! You’re going to love these people! Come on, I’ll show you to your next patient!”

Ulrich couldn’t even tell him he didn’t have to do that because the blonde grabbed his white coat by the sleeve and started dragging him down the hall. Ulrich had made it his goal to not be attached to anyone in this hospital but it seemed that he had befriended someone who had no trouble becoming attached to people. Ulrich raised an eyebrow as he looked at Odd.

“Do you have ADHD?”

“No! Why do people keep asking me that?”

Ulrich didn’t remember a word of what Odd was saying to him as they made their way to their next patient. Odd finally released the brunette when he went to open the door. Ulrich looked down at his paperwork and saw that his next patient was supposed to be a woman named Yumi Ishiyama. She had been in a fire recently and had received some third degree burns. Apparently, she was the last one out of the house so she had been the most exposed to the fire.

Odd paraded into the room with a grin plastered on his face. Yumi’s face wasn’t too badly burned so she was able to smile back at him without pain. Odd put his hands on his hips as he asked with a cheeky smile.

“Yumi, did the sun just come out or did you smile at me?”

Yumi threw her head back and laughed at the blonde. There was something about Odd that made the patients love him, but Ulrich couldn’t put his finger on it. He watched as Odd walked over to Yumi’s IV bag and replaced it with a fresh one. He even took the time to fluff her pillow behind her back to make sure she was sitting up in a comfortable position. The whole time he was helping her the two of them were engaging in playful banter, as if they had known each other for years.

Ulrich was too far away so he couldn’t hear their conversation. Yumi had a smirk on her face as she whispered to the nurse, “You told me that I was getting a new doctor but you didn’t tell me he was this cute! I’ve got a feeling that this one’s yours, though, Odd!”

“Don’t jinx it, Yumi!”

“I see the way he looks at you…”

“Yumi, you’re going to make me blush!”

“Too late!”

Ulrich watched as Odd’s face seemed to turn pink like he was heating up. The brunette walked over to the nurse and gently placed the back of his hand on his forehead, causing Odd to gasp in surprise. Yumi crossed her arms and watched the encounter with an all knowing smirk on her face. All it took was one touch to render Odd speechless.

“You feel warm.”

“Uh, it must be all the layers I’m wearing, yeah!”

The brunette was going to argue with him but the blonde gulped and slipped away from him, claiming that they had more patients to visit. Ulrich shrugged and allowed Odd to show him out of the room. If Ulrich didn’t know any better, he would have to say that Yumi and Odd knew something he didn’t know. He shrugged to himself, it wasn’t of any of his concern.

After all, he wasn’t supposed to get attached.

* * *

It was a brand new week at the hospital and Ulrich was making his rounds to some of his patients. He was in the children’s wing of the hospital when he thought he heard a familiar voice in one of the rooms. He looked at the paperwork near the door and saw that it was a child with type I osteogenesis imperfecta, or brittle bone disease. Ulrich gasped and opened the door as soon as he heard what sounded like something breaking.

The door swung open and that’s when Ulrich’s eyes widened at the scene playing out in front of him. There was a child wearing his hospital blanket around his neck like a cape. He was pretending to punch Odd, who dramatically reacted to the fake attacks as if he had actually been hit. One specific fake punch made Odd pretend he was launched into the wall, causing him to whine aloud as he slipped onto the floor.

Ulrich was astounded by what was happening. He stared at the nurse as he cried out like he was saying his last words, “Curses! My evil plans have been foiled once again by Mr. Glass! Oh! And I was so close to stealing all the gross hospital food! I’ll get you, Mr. Glass, one day!”

The child erupted into a fit of laughter when he saw Odd pretend to faint, sticking his tongue out for added measure. After a minute, Odd opened his eyes and got back to his feet, picking up the child and carefully holding him so he looked like he was flying back to his bed. Odd had a gentle smile on his face as he delicately placed the child on the bed and removed the blanket from around his neck.

“You’ll come play with me tomorrow, won’t you, Odd?”

“Well, of course! Mr. Glass is a hero every day!”

“I like being Mr. Glass.”

“I like him, too, but you know who I like even better?”

“Who?!”

Odd chuckled to himself as he poked the child on the nose. There was a warm smile on the blonde’s face as he answered, “I like you a lot better. I know you think that Mr. Glass is the hero but I think it’s you. There’s no superhero out there who’s as strong as you… I won’t let you forget that.”

“You’re my favorite nurse, Odd.”

Ulrich’s breath hitched as he watched the child pounce on Odd, wrapping his arms around the older male’s neck. Odd’s eyes widened at the contact but he quickly returned the embrace. Odd would never get used to hearing his patients tell him that he was their favorite nurse. He would also never get used to it when they would hug him, either. It was a surreal feeling to him.

When the duo pulled apart, Odd shifted his attention to the doctor in the doorway. Odd flashed him a grin and made a hand motion as if to say “take it away.” Ulrich chuckled at the other male. He was tempted to do a curtesy in return but he didn’t think that would be very professional of him. He opted for nodding back and then making his way to the patient to do a routine checkup.

As Ulrich and Odd left the room, the blonde pulled out his iPod and stuffed his headphones in his ears. Before he played a song, he turned to Ulrich and said, “I’m headed down to the cafeteria for lunch. You’re more than welcome to join me, unless you don’t take breaks or something!”

“How about this… I’ll meet you down there.”

“I’m holding you to it, Ulrich!”

The brunette watched with amused brown eyes as Odd danced down the hallway. There was something about Odd’s positive energy and laugh that was so contagious. Ulrich feared that he was losing part of the seriousness he told himself he was going to have. Odd made him feel weak where that he thought he was strong. There was something about Odd that made him wish he could even be a fraction like him.

After checking in on one more patient, Ulrich stayed true to his word and made his way to the cafeteria for his lunch break. He noticed that Odd was sitting at a table all by himself listening to music on his iPod. As Ulrich stood in line to grab some lunch, he nudged another one of the doctors. Ulrich was looking at the lone nurse as he questioned the other doctor.

“Don’t people like him?”

“Oh, everyone loves him!”

“Then… why is he sitting alone?”

The doctors moved along in line, picking at specific foods they wanted to eat. As they moved along, the other doctor chuckled and replied, “We ask him to sit with us all the time but he always chooses to sit alone. We don’t take it personally, though. I figured he sits alone because he needs to recharge or something.”

“But, he asked me to sit with him.”

“Oh, then he must like you!”

A blush dusted across Ulrich’s face but it disappeared as soon as it came. The other doctor laughed and nudged Ulrich, “I’m just messing with you, newbie! If he asked you to sit with him then do me a favor… no, do yourself a favor and ask him what he renamed his iPod! He’s a riot!”

Ulrich had no idea what that meant but he nodded to the other doctor. Ulrich maneuvered his way through the chairs and tables until he was standing beside Odd. The other male seemed to notice his presence, causing him to pull out a headphone and smile up at him. Ulrich couldn’t help but return the smile this time.

“Is this seat taken?”

“I’m sure I could ask my friends to move for you!”

The brunette surprised himself when he chuckled at Odd’s incredibly lame joke. The brunette took a seat next to Odd. He looked at the blonde skeptically as he asked, “I’ve been told by the other doctors to ask you something so… what did you rename your iPod to?”

Odd immediately started laughing, causing everyone in the cafeteria to look at him. He wasn’t one bit phased by all the attention. He ignored everyone as he leaned towards Ulrich and giggled, “I renamed my iPod “The Titanic,” so when I plug it in it says, “The Titanic is syncing.” Get it?”

It seemed only Odd got the pun at first because he was the only one laughing. The more Ulrich thought it over the more he got the joke. He shook his head and chuckled at the other male. He really was something else. Most people wouldn’t have thought that the joke was funny, but it was Odd that made it funny. He was so genuinely happy with the joke that Ulrich couldn’t help but at least laugh along with him.

When Odd finally simmered down, he pulled out his other headphone and tucked his iPod back into his scrub’s pocket. Ulrich found it oddly pleasant that the blonde hummed while he ate. There were even moments where if the food he was eating was especially delicious, he would start to do a little dance in his chair by swinging left and right.

Ulrich gave a small smile to the blonde. Odd’s eyes widened in surprise when Ulrich spoke to him, “You know, you’re really good with kids… actually, you’re really good with all of your patients. There’s one thing I don’t understand about you, though.”

“Oh, yeah? What’s that?”

“How do you detach yourself from them?”

“What do you mean?”

Odd had forgotten about eating his food at this point. He had a concerned look in his eyes and Ulrich wondered if he had said something that offended the blonde. Ulrich gulped before elaborating, “I was told on my first day here that I was going to be dealing with some of the more terminally ill patients. I was told that I shouldn’t become attached to my patients so how do you detach from them?”

“I don’t.”

For the first time since Ulrich had met Odd, he looked bitter. He let out a deep breath before he continued, “I don’t detach myself from my patients because that would mean my personality is like a switch. I flip on this happy side for the patients and then flip it off when I leave the room… I can’t do that. Yeah, it’s a lot more stress on me but this is who I am.”

“I can’t change, Ulrich.”

“Odd, I didn’t mean to-“

“I’ve got to go.”

Ulrich tried to stop Odd from leaving but the blonde muttered under his breath that his break was over and he had to get back to work. Ulrich hadn’t meant to upset the other male but at the same time, he wasn’t sure why Odd got reacted the way he did. The brunette shook his head and looked down at the bland hospital cafeteria food.

He had lost his appetite.

* * *

After a few days, things seemed to go back to normal between Ulrich and Odd. In a matter of months Ulrich and Odd could barely be seen without the other. They were starting to seem like a dynamic duo in the hospital. You had Odd who was like a ray of sunshine and then there was Ulrich who was able to channel that sunshine so that they could do their jobs.

They were checking up on Aelita this time. She wasn’t doing very well and Odd was doing his very best to make her smile. She looked paler than usual and you could see her growing thinner with each passing week. Ulrich knew that she didn’t have much time left so he allowed her boyfriend to come see her these past few months.

Odd had told Ulrich that her boyfriend, Jeremie, was a real sweet boy. Ulrich had found out that Aelita and Jeremie were extremely intelligent and had met in college in a computer hardware engineering class. They were dancing around each other for a while until Aelita revealed she had been diagnosed with leukemia. Jeremie didn’t know how much time he had with her so he confessed his feelings.

He had been by her side ever since.

Jeremie was sitting at her bedside, holding her fragile hand. He fixed his glasses and smiled when he saw Odd enter the room. Ulrich lingered in the doorway, allowing Odd some time with the couple before he came in. Odd walked over to Aelita and brushed some of her fading pink hair out of her face. He had a smile on his face but it didn’t reach his eyes this time.

“Would you like me to dye your hair again, Aelita?”

“What color do you think I should try?”

“You can never go wrong with rainbow!”

“You say that every time you dye my hair!”

The trio broke out into laughter. Ulrich could tell Odd’s laugh sounded a bit more hollow this time. It was like he wasn’t as happy as he normally was. It felt like there was a rock in the pit of Ulrich’s stomach as he watched Aelita start coughing. Odd quickly handed her a tissue but when she coughed into it, there was blood.

She had tears in her eyes as she looked up at Odd and then to Jeremie. Aelita gave a light squeeze to Jeremie’s hand as she quietly asked the nurse, “I know I’m not getting any better. I don’t have much time… do I, Odd?”

Tears were welling up in Odd’s eyes as he sat on her bed and held her face in his hands. He had a teary smile as he whispered to her, “I’m so sorry, Aelita… I would give anything to keep you here with me and Jeremie. You’ve been one of the lights in my life… my Aelita.”

He slowly removed his hands from her face but she reached a shaky hand out and grabbed his. She shook her head with a sad smile, “I’ve been accompanied by two people who have kept me in comfort for all my days. They’ve been a lot of fun and there’s no one who could match them for turn of phrase.”

Jeremie and Odd knew she was talking about them. Jeremie lifted her hand to his lips, kissing the back of it. He barely managed to choke out, “It’s okay if you let go, Aelita. I know the only reason you’ve hung on for so long is because you didn’t want me to be alone… but I’ve got Odd. You can let go, Aelita, I’ll be okay.”

There were tears pouring down Jeremie’s face. He wished he could be stronger for her. He didn’t want to cry in front of Aelita. She smiled back at him. Ulrich felt his heart ache as he watched Aelita move her hand out of his grasp so she could wipe his tears away. He gave a sad chuckle as he felt her soft hand on his cheeks, smearing the tears on his skin.

Aelita’s heart monitor was beeping slower with each minute. She knew she didn’t have much time so she had to get this out, “Jeremie, there’s a life that’s waiting here for you… if you give love, you’ll never lose love. I will always be with you, Jeremie… but it’s okay to love someone new.”

“Aelita, I could never-“

The pinkette felt a stray tear fall down her face as she squeezed both male’s hands. She looked between Odd and Jeremie as she said, “Jeremie, you’ve already begun to love someone new. Love has been all around you in this room… you just need to look up.”

Jeremie and Odd looked up and stared into each other’s eyes. Jeremie knew that she meant that he had already begun to love Odd. Jeremie’s shoulders were shaking as he nodded back at his lover. He wouldn’t be able to find another lover, but he could give love to Odd.

Odd felt the tears streaming down his face as Aelita used the last of her strength to move to kiss Jeremie’s forehead. She squeezed both their hands as she whispered with a smile, “The heart grows and it knows… Jeremie… Odd…”

“You’re wonderful.”

She carefully sank back into the bed and as soon as her back made contact with her pillow, her heart monitor stopped. The sound of the long beep hung in the air for a moment before Jeremie started sobbing and Odd sprang into action. He started doing CPR to see if there was a chance he could save her.

Ulrich watched the heart breaking scene playing out in front of him. Odd was crying as he desperately tried to bring Aelita back. Jeremie was now a crumpled mess on the floor, sobbing loudly as the heart monitor’s beep hung in the air. Ulrich slowly started to walk towards Odd.

The blonde was doing his best to bring her back but everyone knew it was no use. Odd’s tears were falling on Aelita’s face as he cried, “Please, don’t leave me, Aelita! I’ll tell you your favorite pun! You know, the one where it’s hard to explain puns to kleptomaniacs because they always take things literally! Come on, Aelita, that one was your favorite… please… please…”

“Odd.”

“Please…”

“That’s enough. She’s gone.”

Odd didn’t stop doing CPR until Ulrich grabbed him by his shoulders and turned him out of the room. The blonde broke out of Ulrich’s grasp and ran down the hall. He was blinded by the tears, causing him to crash into another nurse before scrambling back to his feet to continue running. Somehow, he had found his way outside the hospital.

He dropped to his knees and screamed at the top of his lungs. He ran his hands through his hair as he wept for the loss of Aelita. He heard the door open and he was sure one of the nurses had come out to make sure he was okay. He was surprised when he heard Ulrich’s voice.

“Odd, are you alright?”

“She’s gone… she’s not coming back.”

“I’m sorry, Odd… she was a beautiful person.”

“She really was…”

There was a sour taste in Odd’s mouth when he said she _was_. Odd slowly got back to his feet and turned to Ulrich. The brunette felt his heart break at the sight of Odd so broken like this. His eyes were starting to turn puffy and red. His hair wasn’t neatly spiked up anymore. Ulrich felt like he wasn’t looking at the same Odd he had met months ago. Ulrich made the mistake of asking a dangerous question.

“Are you like this every time?”

Ulrich instantly regretted that question as soon as it left his mouth. Odd’s eyes immediately narrowed and Ulrich was seriously worried that the blonde might punch him in the face and break his nose. There was a dangerous look in Odd’s eyes that basically questioned Ulrich’s intelligence on so many levels.

Odd was seething with rage as he deflected Ulrich’s question with ones of his own, “Am I like _what_ every time? Do I get upset every time I lose a patient? Do I mourn for the loss of my patients every time?”

“Odd, calm down-“

“No! You listen to me, Ulrich!”

“Odd, this is your _job!_ You can’t get attached!”

“This isn’t a job to me!”

Odd stormed over to the brunette and grabbed him by the front of his white coat. Odd was crying as he snapped, “This has _never_ been a job to me! People who see their profession as a job make me sick! You don’t love what you do if you see it as a job! I love what I do here in this hospital and that’s why I walk around with a damn smile on my face! These people aren’t patients to me, Ulrich, they’re my friends, my _family!”_

“Aelita was my family!”

The blonde shoved him back, not caring that Ulrich lost his footing and fell to the ground. Odd glared down at him as he hissed, “If you become friends with someone and you watch them die and you don’t feel anything then you’re not even human!”

Ulrich gulped and hesitantly forced himself back to his feet. Odd aggressively rubbed the tears away, knowing that more were sure to follow right after. He took a deep breath as he tried to calm himself down. Ulrich was expressionless on the outside but on the inside he was terrified. He had never seen Odd like this before so, honestly, it was scary.

“Did you feel anything when Aelita died?”

“Wh-what? Odd-”

“Did you feel anything when she fucking died?!”

Ulrich remained silent as Odd huffed and puffed, trying to release all his anger. Ulrich honestly didn’t know what to make of Aelita’s passing. He didn’t think that they were friends. He thought that he was her doctor and she was his patient. Sure, it was upsetting that she had passed away, but she was sick. Ulrich had a thought in the back of his mind that she was never going to make it.

“Yeah… I thought so.”

“Odd-“

“Just… _don’t.”_

Odd threw his hands up in defeat. Ulrich took a step forward but stopped himself. Ulrich’s eyes widened as he finally saw how tired Odd looked for the first time. He had always thought that Odd was a raging blonde ball of energy but it seemed that he wasn’t as happy as he had seemed. He looked so small and broken, but he stood by every word he said about his patients being his family.

Ulrich felt awful for being so insensitive to Odd. In reality, Ulrich thought the world of Odd. He had let his own training and learning experiences block him from seeing his job as anything but a job. He shook his head as he realized that he was so caught up in making his father proud that he had forgotten to enjoy what he was doing. He had forgotten to enjoy all of life’s moments, and that included Odd, now.

Odd sniffled and started to walk past the brunette. Ulrich wanted to stop Odd. He wanted to grab him and hold him close to his chest. He wanted to be the one Odd cried to during these moments of mourning. He wanted to whisper sweet nothings in his ear. He wanted to be strong for Odd in these moments. He regretted letting Odd walk away from him that day.

“Let’s get back to work, _Dr. Stern.”_

* * *

Odd had taken a week off so that he could attend Aelita’s wake and funeral with Jeremie. Losing Aelita had been hard for both males. They stuck by each other’s sides through it all because they were the only ones who truly knew what it meant to love Aelita and to lose her. They were the only ones who knew what they were feeling.

Ulrich and Odd only spoke to each other when needed and it killed them. Ulrich absolutely hated how it sounded to hear Odd call him _Dr. Stern_. The way Odd said those words like they were dripping in sarcasm made Ulrich’s stomach turn. The way Ulrich always opened his mouth to say something but closed it like a Venus fly trap continued to haunt Odd. He wished Ulrich would say something to him that wasn’t work related.

They knew they were killing themselves.

Odd was surprised when he got a new patient a few months later. His eyes widened as he realized that the new patient wasn’t all that new to him. He had a small smile on his face as he rushed past Ulrich and made his way to the room they were supposed to go to next. Ulrich was surprised by this burst of energy and chased after the smaller male.

Odd didn’t even bother to knock. He nearly broke down the door as he grinned to the patient, “Yumi! Well, if I didn’t know any better I’d say that you’re getting into trouble on purpose just so you can see me!”

“Oh, no, you caught me, Odd!”

A smile had etched itself on Ulrich’s face as he watched Odd make his way over to Yumi’s bedside. Her papers said that she had recently fallen down a flight of stairs and broken her leg, thus prompting her to make a surprise return to the hospital. It wasn’t that Odd wasn’t happy to see her, he just wished she didn’t have to get hurt to see him.

“You know, Yumi, recently I tried to sue the airline for losing my luggage.”

“Really? And how’d that work out for you?”

“I lost my case.”

“You’re not funny!”

She was obviously lying because she couldn’t say that without laughing at Odd’s pun. The blonde playfully punched her arm as he countered, “But you keep coming back to the hospital so you’re not fooling me!”

As their laughter died down, Yumi reached forward and grabbed Odd’s hand. He could tell what she was going to say wasn’t going to be anything light so he sat down on her bed. She had tears in her eyes as she whispered, “Odd… I heard about Aelita. I’m so sorry. I… I know how much she meant to you so if you need someone to talk to, I’m here… I’m always here.”

“I loved her, Yumi.”

In a matter of seconds, Odd had silent tears falling down his face. Yumi had a sad smile on her face as she moved to cradle his face, “She loved you, Odd. You and Jeremie were the best things in her life. I know didn’t know her as well as you did, but there were times when we were allowed to walk the halls together.”

“We raced a few times.”

“Did you beat her?”

There was a mischievous look in Odd’s eyes when he asked that question. Yumi shook her head and laughed, “Odd, do you know how _terrible_ I would look if I purposely tried to beat a girl with leukemia…? Of course I beat her, I told her to eat my burnt skin dust!”

Odd and Yumi were cackling at the memory of Yumi and Aelita hustling through the halls with their IV walkers in hand. Odd was wiping a tear from his eye as he replied with a smile, “She wouldn’t have wanted you to take it easy on her, anyways. Thank you for treating her like everyone else… I know she appreciated that.”

Suddenly, Odd’s name was announced over the speaker. It appeared he was needed in one of his patient’s rooms on the third floor. He said his goodbyes to Yumi before sprinting out of the room to take care of his patient. Ulrich watched the smaller male disappear down the hall before heading over to Yumi.

“What happened between you and Odd?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You two are dancing around each other. I can tell.”

“We had a bit of a falling out.”

Ulrich was adjusting the pillows for her as he continued, “Right after Aelita passed, I said something rather insensitive to him and he got mad at me. He had every right to be upset and angry with me but I… I don’t know how to fix it.”

The raven haired girl rolled her eyes, muttering that boys were stupid. Ulrich pretended he didn’t hear her. The brunette backed away and rubbed the back of his neck, “Every time I want to say something to him, I chicken out. I just… I just don’t want to say the wrong thing to him.”

“Well, you need to say something.”

“What would you say if you hurt the person you loved?”

Her eyes widened when he mentioned love. She knew he cared for Odd but she didn’t know that he loved him. She thought the question over for a while. She hadn’t been in a situation quite like this before but she had been in similar situations. This had to be handled delicately.

Yumi gave a soft smile when she finally answered, “I would apologize for being so blind. You two didn’t see eye to eye back then but it seems like you might understand each other now... but you have to talk to him.”

“You’ll lose him if you don’t.”

* * *

Odd was sitting down at his usual table for lunch with his headphones in. Ulrich hadn’t sat with Odd for lunch in a while. He figured that he should give Odd some space after everything that happened between them. Ulrich took a deep breath to keep calm. He nodded to himself, he could do this. He confidently marched over to Odd’s table.

“Is this seat taken?”

Odd stiffened when he heard those familiar words. He slowly reached up and removed his headphones from his ears. He looked like a scared animal as he looked up at Ulrich and responded just like he did all those months ago.

“I’m sure I could ask my friends to move for you.”

They both smiled at each other. This had been the closest they had been to each other outside of their work environment. Odd was poking at his food, obviously trying to avoid looking at Ulrich at all costs. There was an awkward tension that hung in the air and Odd was desperate to eliminate it.

Just as Ulrich was about to say something, Odd beat him to it. He sounded shy as he said, “You know, a police officer knocked on my door the other day and told me my dogs were chasing people on bikes.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“It’s ridiculous, right?”

“Well, yeah-“

“My dogs don’t even own bikes.”

There was a pause as the pun hung in the air and then, it happened. Ulrich threw his head back and started laughing. Odd was stunned as he finally heard Ulrich laughing for real. Odd slowly started to join in until they were both laughing like they were imitating Windex squirt bottles. They didn’t care that people were looking at them. They didn’t care at all.

“I’ve missed you, Odd.”

“I missed you, too, Ulrich.”

The brunette grabbed Odd’s hand, squeezing it as he said, “I’m sorry I hurt you. I was an idiot to not see just how much all of this meant to you. I was insensitive and because of that I really hurt you…”

Odd’s eyes were wide as he watched Ulrich let out a heavy sigh. It looked like he had been beating himself up. Ulrich chuckled sadly, “You know, I got hired as a doctor and I’m supposed to help people, but I keep hurting the person who means the most to me.”

“Isn’t that why you need a nurse?”

Ulrich’s eyes lit up when he heard those words. Odd had a small smile forming on his face as he said, “You’re a great doctor, Ulrich. Your patients really adore you… you just need to stop looking at them as patients and start looking at them as your friends. Eventually, we’ll get you to see them as family.”

“I’m… I’m scared, Odd.”

“What scares you?”

“I guess getting close to someone and then…”

“And then losing them?”

He nodded in return, not trusting his voice at the moment. Odd had tears in his eyes as he continued, “Do you remember what Aelita said before she passed? If you give love, you’ll never lose love. Love only grows, Ulrich… that is, if you let yourself love someone new. I’ll never forget Aelita. I’ll carry her in my heart forever, but… it’s okay to love another after her.”

“You make it sound so easy, Odd.”

The blonde chuckled as he blinked away the tears. He reached out and placed a hand on Ulrich’s cheek, “It’s not easy but it helps to surround yourself with people you love. A hospital can look like a sad place, but it can be so wonderful if you choose to love the people you take care of in it.”

The way Odd talked about loving everyone in the hospital was so beautiful to Ulrich. Odd’s entire outlook on life opened his eyes to how beautiful the world could be. He had been in his father’s shadow for so long that he struggled to see beyond that. Thanks to Odd, he could finally bask in the sunshine.

Because of Odd, he could finally shine.

Ulrich didn’t hesitate as he leaned in and kissed Odd. The blonde’s eyes shot open and then immediately closed. His fingers tangled themselves in brunette locks as they deepened the kiss. They could hear people applauding them in the background, and even a few wolf whistles, but they ignored everyone. They didn’t care that everyone was watching them. They didn’t care at all.

When they slowly pulled away, they were intensely staring into each other’s eyes. There was a blush dusting across Odd’s face and Ulrich couldn’t help but smile at that. He leaned in and kissed Odd’s forehead, not missing how he heard the smaller male gasp at the intimate act of love. Ulrich had a bright smile on his face, one that was similar to the smile Odd always wore.

“You’re wonderful.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for reading! :) I really do appreciate all the love I have received on the past two Code Lyoko stories I've written! I wasn't expecting to write this story at all but, honestly, Aelita's entire death scene made me cry and then writing Odd and Ulrich's fight scene made me tear up again every time Aelita was mentioned like I feel awful for killing her off but I knew her death would impact the characters (and myself) the most. I hope you all can forgive me!! Also, I apologize for any mistakes! I'll be around the next couple days editing, probbably... anyways, thank you so much for reading! :)
> 
> Stay safe everyone and I'll catch you on the flipside! :)


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